The 2025 women’s tennis season could not have had a more fitting finale than what we witnessed in Riyadh last week, as Elena Rybakina rose above a highly-competitive field to win her biggest title since Wimbledon 2022 at the WTA Finals.
The 26-year-old Kazakh went undefeated through the group stage before knocking out fifth-seeded Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals and World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final to pocket $5.235 million – the largest payout in women’s tennis history.
“It's definitely a huge amount and honestly, I didn't think about any of that so much, but of course it’s great and we definitely need to celebrate really well with the team, family and everyone,” said Rybakina on Saturday.
Record prize money aside, this year’s WTA Finals delivered quality matches that perfectly conveyed the story of the season, where a core group of top-ranked women dominated the big stage and breathed new fire into the rivalries between them.
Here’s a look at the eight players that competed in Riyadh and where they stand heading into 2026.
Aryna Sabalenka (World No 1)
It took a flawless serving performance from Rybakina to stop Sabalenka from clinching a maiden WTA Finals crown.
And while she heads into the offseason having secured the year-end No 1 ranking for a second consecutive campaign, Sabalenka will no doubt spend some time thinking about the five finals she lost in 2025.
The 27-year-old Belarusian added four trophies to her resume this year – including a fourth major title at the US Open – and topped the leaderboard with the most wins (63) on the WTA Tour.
But looking ahead, Sabalenka, who is an incredible competitor, will have to find ways to manage her emotions in big matches on a more consistent basis, and stay composed when her opponents start red-lining against her. She’s the world No 1 for a reason and players will keep coming at her. It’s the ultimate sign of respect and she’ll have to be ready for it.
“The good thing is that I'm always there. The bad thing this season, I lost most of the biggest finals I made,” said Sabalenka on Saturday. “So, I guess I'll just sit back in the Maldives, and think back and try to analyse my behaviour, my emotions and think that actually it's been pretty good so far. I just need to get little bit better with myself a little bit more, and hopefully next season I'll improve.”
Iga Swiatek (world No 2)
Swiatek tried to explain why she wasn’t able to make it through the group stage in Riyadh and was stumped.
The Polish star had a perfect opener in the WTA Finals, dropping just three games to Madison Keys. She led by a set in each of her second and third matches but lost both, to Rybakina and Amanda Anisimova, respectively.
As a player renowned for being a ruthless frontrunner, losing from a winning position did not sit well with her.
But when the dust settles, Swiatek can look back and be proud of her season, in which she conquered her least favourite surface – grass – by winning Wimbledon, and significantly improved her serve.
She heads into 2026 hanging on firmly to her No 2 spot and has a shot at completing the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January.
Her challenge moving forward would be balancing the aggression she added to her game in the last couple of seasons with her supreme defensive skills, which has always been her bread and butter.
Coco Gauff (World No 3)
Gauff started her title defence in Riyadh with a three-set loss to Pegula that saw the 21-year-old American commit 17 double faults.
With her serve still a work in progress under the guidance of her new biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan, Gauff is still searching for that flow on what eventually could become a truly devastating shot.
She didn’t advance to the semi-finals in the Saudi capital, but the opening set of her loss to Sabalenka in the group stage showed promising signs of what we can expect from Gauff next season.
“I would like to serve faster,” said Gauff when asked if her impressive serving in the first set against Sabalenka is how she’d like to be serving moving forward.
“But I feel after my first match, I had to take some pace off and just focus on hitting it high, like heavy kicks in the court. But I would like to mix in more flat and mix in more slider wides and things like that.
“With the serve, I feel like it was a good step. But I feel like that type of serving is what I can do when I feel like on an off day, but not how I would like to be on like an A-plus day.
“I just feel like my game is getting better. And I feel like I'm a step in the right direction. And I just want everything to mesh at one point so I can feel completely comfortable on the court.”
Amanda Anisimova (World No 4)
The only WTA Finals debutante in the field, Anisimova had a stellar week in the kingdom, reaching the semi-finals before losing a heartbreaking three-setter to Sabalenka.
The 24-year-old American finished the year playing brave and powerful tennis and can only take confidence from her 2025.
She said she feels like she belongs at the very top of the game and is certainly acting like it. Watch out for Anisimova in Australia!
Elena Rybakina (World No 5)
After months of ups and downs and drama surrounding her coach Stefano Vukov, who was suspended for breaking the WTA Code of Conduct, Rybakina caught fire in the last four weeks of the season, finishing the year on an 11-match winning streak.
She reminded everyone why she was once considered a key member of the WTA’s ‘Big Three’, alongside Sabalenka and Swiatek, and has moved back up to No 5 in the world.
If she keeps serving the way she did in Riyadh, and carry the confidence and momentum forward, she’ll be a top major contender in 2026.
Jessica Pegula (World No 6)
Some of the best matches of the week in Riyadh all featured Pegula.
The 31-year-old American is a master tactician and manages to turn any contest into a chess match.
She posted wins over each of the top three – Sabalenka, Swiatek and Gauff – this season and went down swinging against Rybakina in the semi-finals of the WTA Finals.
She sounds hungrier than ever to keep making improvements to her game and is expected to remain a consistent presence in the latter stages at all the big events.
Madison Keys (World No 7)
A virus hampered Keys’ performance in Riyadh, and the two-month break she took prior to the tournament to nurse an adductor injury didn’t help either.
But despite that, Keys put up a great fight against Anisimova in her second match before opting out of her third due to illness.
After starting the year with a title triumph at the Australian Open, Keys struggled to keep the momentum throughout her campaign.
She’ll head to Melbourne as the defending champion in January and is already thinking of ways to manage the pressure there.
“I think the biggest thing is getting to the point where it's not about not feeling the pressure, but knowing how to navigate through it,” she said in Riyadh.
Jasmine Paolini (World No 8)
Another player struck with illness last week, Paolini won just one of her six matches across singles and doubles at the WTA Finals.
It was bad luck for the Italian who spent five weeks in China prior to the event – a stretch that saw her guide her country to the Billie Jean King Cup title in Shenzhen, as well as make the quarters in Beijing, and the semis in Wuhan and Ningbo.
Paolini looked exhausted in Riyadh and needs a proper rest.
But once she’s got some R&R, she’ll start her preseason training knowing she’s firmly established herself among the top eight over the past two years and can keep up with the best of them on tour.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
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Always use only regulated platforms
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Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
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- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
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TRAINING FOR TOKYO
A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:
- Four swim sessions (14km)
- Three bike sessions (200km)
- Four run sessions (45km)
- Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
- One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
- Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
